Process and apparatus for making roofing material



Feb. 12, 1929.

, J. H. GILL-ls PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING ROOFING MATERIAL FiledAug; 15, 1923 INVENTOR -44 W; Mom 50 ATI'ORNEY5 Patented Feb. 12, 1929.

- UNITED STATES 1,701,918 PATENT" OFFICE.

JULIUS H. GILLIS, F ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, A SSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIG-NHENTB,

TO ANACONIDA SALES COMPANY, A. CORPORATION OI! DELAWARE.

rnoonss AND. nnrnnn ros non. Mannie noorme MATERIAL.

0 Application filed August 15, 1923. Serial No. 657,480.

This invention relates to a process and apparatus for the manufacture ofa roofing-material which is to be used in the web or. roll form. Theroofing material referred to is shown and described in the co-pendmg aplication of Thomas Robinson, Ser. 0. 657,472, filed Aug. 15, 1923, andn thatapplication this new roofing is descrlbed as consisting of acomposition base whlch 1s provided with a protective strip ofwear-resisting material. The base which is used in this connection maybe formed of any of the compositions which are commonly used at thepresent time under the general designation of composition roofing. Suchroofing may be made of impregnated felt, paper, burlap, or finelydivided granular or fibrous material, such as asbestos, held together bya. sultable binder. The binder, or lmpregnating material commonly usedis a bituminous composition, although magnesite compounds and fire-proofcements are also used. Such composition roofing is in wide use in theform of long strips or webs of relatlvely flexible 2 material,ordinarily shipped in rolls, and

these strips are unrolled on the roof and attached thereto in anyconvenient man'ner. Composition roofing is also made in the form ofsingle roofing elements similar-to shingles, tiles, and the like, but inthis form the elements have a greater degree of rigidity than the webmaterial. Com osition roofing ma terial of the type above rieflydescribed has the advantage of cheapness over ordinary wood or slateshingles, andthe web type is most conveniently used, particularly at theangles of the roof or in other places where ordinary roofing materialscannot be applied in a continuous layer but must be cut'in ac- 40 pointof application. This composition roofing, however is objectionable tosome extent byreason of its appearance. Also it has a tendency todeteriorate, due to the volatili-r zation of thelighteroils of thebinding compound and the surfaceis somewhat soft so that when subject towear it is likely to have a shorter life than other harder materials.

Metal roofin haslalso been used to agreat extent but is objectionable onaccount of the rapidity with which it transmits heat and also because ofits cost. In the co-pending application, above referred to, however,there is described a roofing which overcomes the several disadvantagesof both types and the roofing is of the web type and the metalliccordance with the shape ofithe roof at the- .that adherence between thestrip and the desired object is attained by. applyingto a compositionbase a wear-resisting, protective stri which is preferably made of anon-corrodlble metal such as copper or zinc. This strip is designed tocover only that area of the web which will be exposed when the latter isin position on the roof. By

the metallic strip to the weather surface only, it is possible to reducethe cost of'the finished product and also to provide for anoverla pingjoint construction which is more satlsfactory than would be the case ifthe metal covered the entire surface of the strip.

Along the edges of the strip is left an uncoated selvage of the basematerial and when ,the strips are to be used in the various ways madenecessary by the configuration of the roof, the joints between adjacentstrips or between the strip and adjacent elements of the shingle type,are formed by overlap ing and contacting sections of the base. ince thebase material has a relatively soft surface this insures that the twooverlapping areas will lie with their surfaces in intimate contactsothat a water-tight joint is produced. Also this selvage portionpermits of the use of nails for attaching the strip to the roof properwithout producing holes in the composition which would wear lar er undervarying temperature conditions an thus resalt in leaks. Furthermore bymaking the joint between uncoated surfaces of the base it is possible toapply an adhesive compound similar to that used for binding orimpregnating processes so as to make a water-proof joint, thus obviatingthe use of solder, as is necessary in plain metal roofing. Also the useof a joint formed between com osition surfaces prevents leakage due tocapillarity. The present invention is intended to provide a process andapparatus for the production. of the roofing material above referred to,and in accordance with this invention a stri of the protective metal isprogressively app ied' to the surface of the base web and the two areunited by the progressive :appli-. cation of heat and pressure.Iniproducing base, which is necessary in" order that the roofing maybe'flexed to conform to thereof surface, I take advantage of the factthat the base is ordinarily coated or-impregnated with a plasticmaterial which may be used as the adhesive. In applying the heat necee-9 sary to soften this material so that it will wet the strip and uponcoolin adhere firmly to it, I localize or confine t e heat to the stripitself in such a way as not to soften the base throughout its entirethickness, and this localization of heat is best carried on bygenerating heat'in the stripfby means of the electric current. Thosesteps in the present;

I irregularities of the base resulting during its formation by reason ofthe character of the material of which the base is formed, or elseproduced by special treatment for the desired purpose, and thereafterthe coating is subected to the localized heating 'so as to prou'ce thedesired adherence.

In the present process I prefer to produce the protective material bxelectrolytic methods and then progressively lay astrip of such materialon the surface of the web. Thereafter the two materials are passedthrough pressure rolls which serve to maintain them in intimate contactand during the application of such pressure, heat is gener- 1 'ated inthe strip by means of an electric ourrent. During this treatment theplastic material in the base softens and expands with a slight bubblingeffect with the result that this softened material wets the strithroughout the surface contacting with the ass. The base and strip aremaintained under pressure for such a length of time as is necessary topermit the plastic ingredient to set, whereupon the finished product isrolled up in rolls o such length as is desired. In the production ofsuch material it is ossible to make use of a preformed strip of s eetmetal of the desired shape and thickness, although I prefer to producethis. protective coating electrolytically for reasons of economy. In thelatter case I make use of a rotary cathode having a suitably preparedsurface and I cause a layer of the metal to be deposited. on the surfaceof this cathode in a continuous operation. As the cathode rotatesthGdGPOSHG is stripped therefrom and then used directly, or else it maybebuilt up to any desired thickness by passage between s aced anodes inan electrolytic cell. From t e elecrolytic tank the strip may next pass,if desired, through a vat of coloring material, containing chemicalswhich would produce desired color effects, and thereafter .the strippasses through a trimming device which gives it a smooth edge. It ispossible to make use of a rotary cathode of a length substantially equalto the width of the strip, using a separate electrolytic cell for ecahline of heating and pressing rolls, although I prefer to make use of acathode in the form of a drum on which is deposited a sheet of metalsufficient to from a protective covering for several composition webs.As this sheet is stripped fromthe surface of the drum it is split intothe desired widths and the strips so formed may then be led directly tothe apparatus for applying the strips to the base material, or elsethese strips may be Wound into rolls and later be applied to the base.By using a drum cathode ofconsiderable width it is possible to producethe metal more economically and with a greater uniformity in' qualityand thickness.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated, more or lessdiagrammatically, a suitable apparatus for carrying on acontinuousprocess in which the metal strip is formed and directly laid upon andunited to the surface of the web of base material. In these drawings,

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the complete apparatus, includinga coloring tank,

Fig. 2 is a View similar to Fig. 1, omitting the coloring tank, butshowing the necessary modifications for the purpose-of building up thedeposit by further electro-deposition,

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a length of the finished product, and j Fig. 4is a longitudinal sectional view of the product, showing the protectivestrip partially torn away. 1

Fig. 5 is a side view of a contact roll used in the new apparatus.

Referring now to these drawings, it will be seen that the apparatusincludes an electrolytic tank 5, having a somewhat angular bottom 6, sothat the quantity of solution to be used may be as small as possible.Mounted in suitable bearings in the end walls of thetank is a rotarycathode 7 having a smooth surface of lead or'oth'er metal from which thedeposit may readily be stripped. This cathode may be of a light metalstructure, having those surfaces which pass beneath the surface of theliquor and are not to receive a deposit enameled or coated with animpervious composition so that the metal is not affected by theelectrolyte. The dimensions of the cathode will depend on severalfactors. The diameter of the cathode will determine the peripheral speedwhich must be given it to produce a stri of the desired thickness underany selected e ectrolytic condltions, and the axial length will bedetermined by the wldth of the strip to be produced. The cathode may bedesigned to produce a single strip to be applied to the base web, butpreferably is of such length that the deposited materlal may be slit -soas tovform several strips to be apparts of the apparatus.

plied simultaneously to different webs. The cathode is provided with ashaft 8 which is driven from a suitable source of power and the cathodeis also provided with electrical connections which, in this case, maytake the form of brushes bearing on the surface of the cathode at spacedpoints arranged so as to produce a uniform distribution of the currentthroughout the cathode run. These brushes are not illustrated but are ofthe common type well-known in the art. The cathode drum or Wheel ispreferably mounted so that the shaft is above the liquid level in thetank. Located in the tank below the cathode is an arcuate anode 9, whichis formed of the metal to be deposited and for convenience will bereferred to as copper, although it will be understood that various othermetals may be used for producing the strip. The anode is formed on anarc, corresponding to the shape v of the cathode and is located a shortdistance from the surface of the cathode. The anode is connected with asuitable source of power so that current will flow from the anode intothe solution and pass outwardly from the cathode brushes, this currentflow producing, a deposit of the metal from the electrolyte on thesurface of the cathode in the usual Way.

The cathode is rotated with a slow, uniform movement, and theelectrolytic conditions in the tank, that is to say, the currentdensity, the strength of the electrolyte, etc., are so selected thatduring such rotation there will be deposited a continuous, uniform sheetof metal of the desired thicknesson the surface of the cathode. As thecathode rotates this metal is stripped from its surface at the point 10,which is located slightly above the solution line, and if it is foundnecessary a stripper blade 11 may be employed at this point.

The stripped sheet is guided over a roller 12,

which insures that the strip produced will be supported above thesurface of the electrolyte v so that there is no possibility of themetal in the strip again golng into solution, and the strip then passesover another guide roller (selection of the proper chemicals, accordingto metal-deposited and the use to which the strip is to be put. Thecoloring tank is in the form of a vat having a V-shaped bottom. Locatedjust above the apex of the bottom is a roller 15, so that the strippassing out of the electrolytic tank is led down beneath this roller,thence outwardly over a guide roller 16, from which it passes to thevarious other If desired, suitable washing tanks,similar in general tothe coloring tank 14, may also be provided so that when the stripfinally passes over the guide roller 16 to receive further treatment thecoloring operation will be complete and the trated in the drawings, thepressure is con tinuous, that is the strip is applied to the base web asrapidly as it is formed, but 1nasmuch as the electrolytic operation isslow as compared to the step of applying the strip to the base, oneuniting apparatus will serve for several electrolytic tanks and forreasons of. economy it is preferable to take up the strip formeftl inthe tank on an arbor and use these rolls of metal in the unitingapparatus as they may be needed. In the drawings the strip is shown asbeing led directly from the trimming rolls to the uniting devices simplyfor convenience of illustration.

The uniting apparatus consists of a table 18, the upper surface of whichis provided with a series of rolls 19, serving to support the strip inits passage thereover. At the front end of the table is supported asupply of base material, here shown in the form of a roll 20, carried ona suitable arbor. The base web is drawn from this supply roll over aguide roll 21 and passes over the-top of the table underneath the metalstrip, the two being held in intimate contact by a series of pressurerolls 22. In the event that a single uniting apparatus is to serve anumber of tanks the metal strip in the roll form will be supported atany convenient location near the supply of base material, and the stripand web will be led together over the roll 21 in a-manner similar tothatnow illustrated. a

The base which I prefer to use is a roofing felt impregnated withasphalt and having a coating of asphalt. In the event that such acoating has not been applied, a thin layer of asphalt or the like isapplied to the surface of'the base before it comes into contact with thestrip. The strip and the base lying in contact, pass over the top of thetable and near the front edge thereof pass between a pair of rolls 23and 24. The lower roll is mounted infixed bearings and is provided withayielding surface which may be formed of rubber. The upper roll 23 ismounted in adjustable bearings sothat it may be caused to bear on theWeb passing thereunder, with a regulated pressure. The roll 23is mountedon journals 45 and has at either end contact rings 46, one of whichreceives current from a brush 47, while another'brush 48 withdrawsrubber. As the material passes between these rolls current is caused toflow from one 'contact, into the metallic strip, thence back to the linethrough the other contact, and this current is regulated so as toproduce a heating efiect which raises the temperature of the metal stripto a degree suflicient to soften the plastic compound on the base andthe impregnating material in a thin stratum alon the face upon which themetal has been lai The heating of this material causes it to ,soften andswell so as to wet the surface of the metal which is pressed against thebase with a regulated pressure.

Passing from between the rolls 23 and 24, the base and strip enterpressure rolls 22, previously referredto, and are there maintained inintimate contact for a period sufiicient to permit the plastic substanceto set and thus V gbind the strip firmly to the base. Inasmuch as themetallic layer is comparatively thin, the heating sufiicient to producethe desired result may be rapidly carried on and one pair of rollssimilar to 23, 24 are ordinarily sufficient. However, it is possible tomake use of two or more pairs of such rolls to increase the s eed ofoperation if desired. The heat whic has been generated in the metal doesnot extend, to any considerable degree into the base itself, but simplysoftens the plastic substance in a thin stratum of the base while therest of the base is unaffected. The strip also loses its heat quickly byradiation and this permits the lastic substance to set rapidly.

Passing om the pressure rolls 2 2, 22, which may vary in number inaccordance with the needs of the material being produced, and which areadjustable so as to permit of regulation of the pressure applied, thecomposite web now passes between trimmingrolls 25, similar to the rolls17 ,these rolls serving to trim theedges of the selvage to producematerial of a selected width. In some instances this second trimmingstep ma also be omitted. From the trimming rol s the material passesthrough further pressure rolls 26, 26,

and is then led 01f and rolled up, as indicated at 27. I

As has previously 'beenexplained, the rotary cathode is driven from asuitable source of power and certain of the pressure rolls and 1 theheating rolls may also be driven, thus p providing a means forforwarding the material without subjecting. it to undue-tension-,lheseveral driven elements however, will be 'roperly co-ordinated sothat the material is advanced through the-apparatus with a nifd'rmmovement and this rate of movement will in turn depend on the rapiditphwith which the deposition is carriedon. eobj ect of such regulation isto produce a strip of the desired thickness and quality and to carry onthis production continuously so that the apparatus may be operatedwithout interruption.

In Fig. 1, the apparatus suitable for the production of a depositsuitable for one width of base material has been illustrated, but in theevent'that it is desired to use a drum of greater length for thedeposition it is only necessary to provide a suitable trimming device toslit this deposit to the desired width, and then pass the differentparts of the deposit through heating and pressure rolls which 'aresuitably located so that the production of the diflerent webs will notinterfere with each other. For this purpose the structures containingthe pressure rolls will preferably be of varyingheiglits and placed instaggered relation.

In the apparatus illustrated in Fig. 2 the construction is, in general,similar to that previously described but in this arrangement the striptaken from the rotary cathode is a built up by passage through spacedanodes mounted within the tank. The tank 28 accordingly has a deepportion in which the rotary cathode is supported, and a relativelyshallow extension 29 in which s aced anodes 30 are disposed. The strip31 ta en from the drum passes beneath a guide roll 32 between the firstpair of anodes, thence overguide through the trimming devicepreviously'de-.

scribed, is then laid as: fast as it is formed on a web of the basematerial and thenpasses between heating and pressure rolls to cause themetal to adhere to the base. The con- 'struction of the apparatus forthe latter purpose is similar to that previously described.

In Fig. 2 the coloring and wash tanks have been omitted but it is to beunderstood, of course, that such coloring treatment may be given thestrip if desired. "In both Figs. 1 and 2 there is shown a cleanerdevice35 which maybe in the form of. a sore ror'ibrush bearing against thesurface-1o {thecathode and serving to clean it of; .which might resu tthe deposit.

In Fig. 3 there is shown 2, str .of the new in breaking thecontinuity-of.

material of the preferred form; lnthat figare the base material is shownto have selvage portions 36, 36, whilethe protective strip 37 is appliedto thebase centrallykthereof. It will be clear that it may be desirablein some .instancesto apply the protective strip along one edge of thebase I or in .location's other than that shown. For this purposeit isonly necessary to arrangethe sourceofsupplyof the base material so thatthe strip will be laid thereon in the desired location, the other stepsof applying heat and pressure remaining substantially the same with suchslight adjustments in the position of the contacts and the trimmingrolls as may be necessary for the new product.

Fi 4 illustrates the new product compose of a web of base material 38 towhich the protective strip 39 has been applied. It

will be noted, partlcularly at the left in Fig.

4, that'the base is of somewhat varying thickness due to inequalities inthe material due 5 to its production. The protective strip, however,owing to its passage through the various adjustable pressure rolls, iscaused to conform to the irregularities in the base and is held theretoby reason of. the plastic material which is caused-'to'wet and adhere tothe strip.

"While ll'have illustrated an apparatus in which the metallic strip isformed by electrolytic methods and is then laid, as rapidly as it isformed, on the base, material and then united thereto, it is to beunderstood, of

course, that I may dispense with the electrolytic step and use apreformed metallic strip. In this latter instance a supply of thesheetmetal will be mounted in a location similar to the supply of the baseWeb and the two materials will then be led acrossthe table 18, passedthrough the heating and pressure rolls and then to the take-up rolls, ashas previously been set forth. I prefer to employ the electrolyticmethod, however for reasons of economy.

It will be seen that I have devised a process and apparatus suitable forthe continuous production of the new roofing material by in which suchmaterial may be produced with a minimum of expense and attention. Theprocess is carried out without interruption .so long as supplies ofthebase and strip are available, or until the anodes are consumed,

4 if the strip is to be led directly from the tank to the u'nitingapparatus. In the electrolytic tank the electrolyte will be refreshedfrom time to time in the tank and new anodes will be mounted in place asthe old ones are con sumed. The finished material taken from the unitingapparatus is wound into rolls of comprises moving longitudinally a' webof fibrous material coated with an asphaltic substance in non-adhesivecondition, progressively laying a strip of metal on the coated surfaceof the web, and thereafter progressively uniting the strip and web byelectrically generating heat in the metal at one point in the movementof the strip and web, the heat being sufiicient to soften the asphalticcoating on the web'and render it tacky, and by subjecting the strip andweb to pressure applied at the point where the heating takes place andalso a plied beyond this point.

' 2. The metho of manufacturing sheet material for roofing and otherpurposes,- which comprises moving longitudinally a web of fibrousmaterial coated with an' asphaltic substance in non-adhesive condition,progressively laying a strip of metal on the coated Surface of the web,and thereafter stance in the coating being in nonadhesive condition,progressively applying pressure to the strip and web to hold the two inintimate contact, simultaneously generating heat electrically in thestrip sufficient to soften the plastic coating to renderit tacky, andregu lating the heating to prevent any substantial soflgening of theplastic material within the we i 4. The method of manufacturing sheetmaterial for roofing and other purposes, which comprises laying a stripof metal progres- -progressively uniting the strip and web by sively onthe surface of a base coated with a plastic compound'in non-adhesivecondition, causingan electric current to flow through the strip after itis so laid along a path moying relatively to the strip in a directionlengthwise of the latter to raise the temperature of themetal to anextent sufficient to soften the plastic coating and min der it tacky,and applying pressure to the strip and web to cause the two to be unitedby the softened plastic compound.

5. The method of manufacturing sheet material for roofing and otherpurposes, which comprises movingia strip of metal past a supply offibrous material in theform. of a web, this material having a coating ofa plastic compound in non-adhesive condition, drawing the web materialfromthe supply at a speed correspondin to the moyement of the metallicstrip, placing the strip in conmaterial being coated on one surface witha plastic compound in-non-adhesive condition, means for continuouslylaying a strip of metal on the coated surface of the moving web,electrical means for progressively enerating heat in the strip as itmoves along in contact with the web,'the heat being suflicient to softenthe plastic coating and render it tacky, and means for applying pressureto the strip and web to cause the plastic coating to adhere to the stripto unite the strip and web.

7. Apparatus of the type described, comprising means for setting inmotion a web of fibrous material of indefinite length, one surface ofthis material being coated with a plasticcompound in non-adhesivecondition, means for continuously laying a strip or metallic material onthe coated surface of the Web, means disposed at one point in the pathof, travel of the strip and web for electrically generating heat in thestrip while it is in contact with the web sufiicient to soften theplastic coating on the web, the

pressure means acting progressively on the strip and web after the striphas been heated and causing the strip and web to be united by thesoftened plastic coating ,on the Web.

8. In appara-tus'of the class described, the cofnbination of means forsetting in motion a web of base material having one surface coated witha layer of plastic material in non-adhesive condition, means forcontinuously laying a strip of metal on the coated surface of theweb,means for causing an electric current. to flow through the metal afterit is in place on the web, including contact devices bearing on thesurface of the strip and pressure devices for applying pressure to thestrip and web after the strip has een heated by the passage of thecurrent.

9'.Apparatus of the type described, comprising driven rolls for'drawinga web of fibrous material from a supply, this material having a coatingof-plastic material in non-adhesive condition on one surface thereof,means I for continuously laying a strip of metal on the coated surfaceof the web, .a pair of rolls through which the web and strip are passed,contact members in one of these r'olls connected to a'source ofelectrical energy and arranged to cause a current to flow across thestrip to raise the temperaturethereof, and pressure rolls through whichthe web and heated strip are passed arranged to force the strip and webinto intimate contact. In testimony whereof I alfix my signature.

JULIUS H. GILLIS.

